At Pangbourne, we strive to put wellbeing at the heart of everything that we do. We understand how a happy (or unhappy) mind can affect young people and their education. With this in mind, we initiated our first ever College Wellbeing Day. 

The day itself had two separate elements to it. For the first part, each year group attended an age appropriate, specialist talk in the Chapel. Each topic focused on wellbeing but honed in on a particular theme, from exam stress for Years 11 and Upper Sixth, to self image for Years 7 and 8. 

Speakers

Alicia Drummond spoke with both Year 10 and Lower Sixth pupils, focusing on two separate themes for each year group. For Year 10, she delivered a talk on ‘Encouraging respect amongst teenagers’ and one about ‘Role Modelling’ for Lower Sixth. Alicia is a BACP accredited therapist, parent coach, speaker and author. 

Joanna Feast, CEO of Clean Well-Being, also spoke to two different year groups - Year 11 and Upper Sixth. With both being critical exam years, it was fitting that Joanna focused on exam stress and presented ‘Positive Ways to Manage Exam Stress’ for both GCSE and A Levels. 

Patrick Foster delivered his ‘What everyone needs to know about Gaming & Gambling’ talk to Year 9. During his professional career, Patrick has worn many hats, from being a professional cricketer, to an insurance broker and also an independent school teacher. Patrick now shares his own story about addiction and gambling to warn young individuals of the consequences. 

Saltmine Theatre Company spoke with Years 7 and 8 on the topic of self image, social media, FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and “The New Normal”. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, three short films were shown that each respond to the urgent mental health crisis affecting young people. 

For the second part of the day, during the usual Sports and Activities period, a number of workshops were available for pupils to opt into. The aim of the workshops was to allow pupils to experience an activity, or learn a new skill related to enhancing their wellbeing and mental health. An abundance of activity proposals were put forward by staff, giving pupils a wide variety to choose from.

The chosen activities that went ahead were board & card games, book club, bow ‘n’ arrow making, commando games, Duke of Edinburgh (Bronze, Silver and Gold), Easter craft, anxiety strategies, gym, Harbinger cafe, crochet, journaling, quiet reflection, making dough, origami, photography, poetry composition, recreational rowing, relaxation, Rosslyn Park Sevens, screening of ‘Hamilton’, sleep benefits, social deduction board games, stretch and relax, sudoku, walking, water and ink, cross country and yoga/pilates. 

Caroline Bond, Assistant Head Pupil Mental Wellbeing, commented on the day, “I am so incredibly pleased with how successful our first College Wellbeing Day proved to be. It really was Team Pangbourne at its best. I would like to extend a personal thank you to everybody who volunteered to lead a workshop and to all of those who helped make the day happen. In particular, Ms Rebecca Atack for organising such an engaging and exciting programme of professional speakers and Mr Richard Follet for organising the extensive range of activities.”